Bad weather hit Massachusetts on Sept. 8, 2023. A slow-moving, six-day storm became one of the most significant weather events the state had experienced in decades. After the first day alone, almost 200,000 people were left without power.
Leominster, a city of about 44,000, was among the areas hardest hit. In just a few hours, nearly 11 inches of rain fell, sending water rushing down hillsides and overwhelming local waterways.
The surge put severe stress on two dams in the area — Brooks Pond Dam and Barrett Park Pond Dam — both of which were damaged during the flooding. If they had failed, hundreds of homes and businesses downstream would have been put at risk…